


Gilded in Pearls

by OccidensdeLuna



Category: Howl's Moving Castle - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Howl's Moving Castle Fusion, F/M, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Gentleness, Hair Braiding, Howl is a Gentleman, Light-Hearted, Magic, Romance, Self-Esteem Issues, Short & Sweet, Sophie is Sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25745209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccidensdeLuna/pseuds/OccidensdeLuna
Summary: “Stop squirming so much, or the braid will turn out messy and I’ll have to do it all over again.”“It’s hard to stay still for you when you’re pulling my hair like that! It’s attached, you now. It took a lot to grow it so long and I’d thank you for not pulling it so harshly before even taking me out to dinner first.”
Relationships: Sophie Hatter & Howl Pendragon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 63





	Gilded in Pearls

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to make something light and sweet. Something off the beaten path for me, who writes almost only angst. Howl and Sophie seemed like a good place to experiment with writing gentle love, rather than my usual tears, self hatred, and doom and gloom. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

“Stop squirming so much, or the braid will turn out messy and I’ll have to do it all over again.” 

“It’s hard to stay still for you when you’re pulling my hair like that! It’s attached, you now. It took a lot to grow it so long and I’d thank you for not pulling it so harshly before even taking me out to dinner first.”

Sophie frowned, lightly smacking her lover on the shoulder with the back of her hand before continuing on with the elaborate set of plaits that she had woven in the flaxen hair between her fingers. Howl smiled, closing his sapphire eyes and relaxing at the much more gentle touches, playing with the silver ring that encircled his slender index finger. It was the night of the Summer Solstice, and by tradition the King and the Royal Magic Academy were throwing the annual Summer Soirée. Both Howl Pendragon and Jenkins were invited, and while Jenkins was busy with a very important Seven League Boot situation, Pendragon found his schedule perfectly empty on that evening, and being allowed one plus one, invited his lovely girlfriend Sophie Hatter. It was now, the evening of the Soirée, that Howl found himself much too anxious to possibly be able to look his best without the generous aid of Sophie.

“Howl, dear, I think I’m just about finished… Unless you have any other braiding catastrophes, I better go change into my clean frock and we can head out the door.” Sophie cooed, tucking in the last few stray hairs into place before kissing her lover on the cheek and making her way to the stairs leading to their room.

“I thought you were joking when you told me what you were wearing this morning. You’re not really wearing that old thing, are you, my love? I mean, it’s very pretty on you but it is perhaps just a bit plain, is it not?”

“Darling, it’s fine. I washed the ink stain out weeks ago, remember? I really don’t need a new dress, I like blending in to the crowds… I feel safer there.”

Howl suppressed a groan, and got to his feet, straightening out his own silk and gold embroidered coat and satin shirt, and followed Sophie up the stairs, heeled leather boots clicking with every step, though as he got closer to the bedroom he tried to walk more softly. He rested his forearm on the door frame, and looked in on his room, watching as his lover drifted about, humming under her breath. It was moments like this when she seemed most beautiful, to Howl, when she wasn’t trying to please anybody and wasn’t trying to hide herself away in a sea of cotton and tweed, but was content just being herself. The blond couldn’t help but smile as he gazed in on her, completely in her own world and unaware of being observed, as she waltzed around the room, holding her evening gown to herself like a silken dance partner. When she finally did see her spectator she let out a shriek and dropped the dress to the floor immediately, clearing her throat and standing awkwardly.

“What have I told you about sneaking up on me like that? You nearly scared me half to death.” Sophie gasped, clutching her hand to her chest and giving the man a sharp look.

“I was just admiring how breathtaking you are, my dear, nothing more. Well, that and to make one last attempt in talking you out of wearing that ratty old thing. Er… Pardon me… That full of good memories, well loved, very flattering smattering of fabric and lace.” Howl grinned sheepishly, perching himself on the edge of the bed and rubbing the turquoise fabric between his two fingers.

“Uh huh… Like I said this morning, this is my nicest piece. If I knew you disapproved so heavily on it, then I would have gone out and bought another.” 

“Sophie, you know I’d happily buy you something in a heartbeat, In fact, I insist. I wish you’d let me spoil you more often, you deserve to be treated like the Queen you are.”

“Queen, huh? Do I need to remind you that I was your cleaning lady for all that time?” Sophie chided, cradling the wizard's face in her hands, stroking her thumb lovingly against his cheek, “Turn around so I can get changed, please.”

Howl happily obliged, turning his focus on one of the many books that cluttered the bookshelf on his side of the bed. He bought them solely because he enjoyed looking at the spines, finding the intricate calligraphy and engravings so pleasing, though the thought of each of them leading to an entirely new world fascinating. From time to time, Sophie would pick one up and read it out loud for him when he was having a fitful night’s sleep, and that he did enjoy, he just found reading them himself painfully boring and a waste of his time. But perhaps this book would be different… The wizard reached for a particularly thin one, with an emerald green cover and gold writing. From what he could make out from the first few pages and occasional illustration, the story had something to do with ducks and swans and finding your self worth, but after leafing through a handful more pages he found the familiar sleepiness take hold behind his eyes, and braved a peek behind his shoulder to see how his girlfriend was faring. 

“Hey, what did I say?” Sophie scolded, not that anything wasn’t covered. In fact, she had finished dressing minutes previously, but enjoyed watching Howl trying new things without the pretense of being told to do so, even if it was just reading.

“It’s not like it’s nothing I haven’t seen before, my love.” Howl chuckled, gratefully closing the book and returning it to the shelf to remain unfinished, before his eyes studied the other’s dress.

“Is it really that bad? You’re making that face that you made when I accidentally moved your glamour potions. You’re not going to summon the Spirits of Darkness over a dress, are you, because both Calcifer and I can agree that you were not very much fun to clean up after.” 

“N-No, not at all… You’re stunning, is all.”

A light pink blush coloured Sophie’s cheeks as she shook her head, letting the loose starlight silver waves fall around her face. The dress, old as it may be, did look lovely on her, if not a bit old fashioned. It cinched in high on her waist, giving her a much more matronly look than someone so young should have, and the long sleeves cut her arms off at a clumsy length. Even the neckline had an older feel, going all the way up until it was almost a modest turtleneck. The turquoise color was impeccable, however, suiting the young woman’s walnut brown eyes flawlessly. Howl stood up, and clicked over to her, stroking his hands along the sides of her arms and gazing down at her, completely enamoured by her beauty. Sophie bit the inside of her cheek, and sighed, nodding her head to herself.

“Fine…” She whispered, averting her eyes and fighting a smile.

“Fine? Fine, what? Fine, you think my idea for pumpkin soup for dinner last night was a good idea? Fine, you think my lips really are too big for my face? Fine, what, dearest?”

“Pumpkin soup was most definitely _not_ a good idea, in the dead of summer. And your lips are perfect, you’re just fishing for compliments.” Sophie groaned, fidgeting where she stood and sighing exasperatedly.

“And you’re just avoiding my question.” The blond cooed, pressing his perfect lips to the woman’s ear.

“Fine, I’ll let you fix my dress.”

Howl pressed a firm kiss to his girlfriend’s cheek, beaming like a madman when he pulled away. He soon got to work, shrugging his coat that had been resting off his shoulders onto the bed before rubbing his hands together to get the blood flowing. The wizard closed his lapis eyes and spread his arms with a flourish, a smirk plastered to his face before falling more serious. The energy in the room began to buzz, palpable sparks of magic dancing off of the two figures' skin and causing the hanging coloured glass that hung from the ceiling to spin slowly, sending an array of rainbow shimmers and lights cascading down the cluttered walls. Sophie rolled her eyes, knowing most of the magic Howl did was theatrics and done to increase the anticipation and was about to ask him to speed it up a bit when she felt the fabric encompassing her body begin to shift and stretch as the wizard started to whisper incantations under his breath.

‘ _O Dduwiau Hynafol, gadewch imi gyflawni fy ewyllys fel y gwelaf yn dda, felly mote hi’_

The waist of the dress dropped, now hugging the young woman’s hips just so, emphasizing the subtle curves of her figure, and giving her a much more youthful appearance. The sleeves soon followed suit, first growing in size until they billowed out around Sophie’s arms before shortening themselves until they were cut just above the elbow until falling off her shoulders so that the new sleeves puffed around her upper arms. Finally the neckline gave way, ruching itself until it covered just below her collarbones and allowing Sophie’s cropped hair to brush against her now bare shoulders. Howl blinked his eyes slowly and coughed to clear his throat, sitting shakily down on the foot of the bed to get a proper look at the work he had done.

“You didn’t overexert yourself, did you? I know you were stressing your body as it was.”

“Oh, but my dear, isn’t this worth it? Look at yourself? You’re the most beautiful woman I think I shall ever have the privilege of seeing.”

If Sophie questioned for a moment that she was blushing before, there wasn’t a single doubt in her mind about it now. Though she was used to the expected amount of charm and flattery that came with dating the blond, but there were moments in which he would say something so genuine and so from the heart that she couldn’t do anything but simmer in her own flustered state, and hope her cheeks didn’t stay the color of freshly picked raspberries for long. She turned from Howl’s starstruck gaze to face the mirror, to see what the fuss was all about when her lips parted and she sucked in a shallow inhale. 

Never in her life had Sophie ever imagined herself to be a “pretty woman”, not even when she was a young girl playing dress up with her sisters. As the eldest, she had always taken the role as the plain sister, mature as she was stoic, and lucky if she was thought of as being even possibly attractive. It was in this moment, she was taken aback at herself, unable to take her gaze off of her reflection. No longer was the average young woman with the boring face and the modest smile staring back at her in the mirror, but was greeted with the face of… It was still her, but different. Better? The mousy look in Sophie’s eyes was replaced with the strong willed gaze of a woman who knew what she wanted, and the shy smile that was ever present so that people didn’t think she was disinterested was instead a confident smirk, ready to take on the world and all it held for her. It took her a moment to even recognize that it was even her, staring back from the mirror, and Sophie lifted up her hand to press against her cheek to confirm that it was. Sure enough, it was, and with a choked gasp, Sophie spun around to fling her arms around the wizard’s neck.

“Sophie, you’re shaking.” Howl breathed, gently holding her to his chest and pressing kisses to the top of her head.

“I-I’ll be okay… Just happy is all… I know the glamour spell will wear off, but… It’s nice, just for a moment, to be someone else… Someone I never thought I could be.”

“Glamour spell? I don’t know what you mean.”

“To make me so beautiful… I’m not, and-”

“Hush. None of that. The only magic I cast, other than your dress of course, is to show you what I see. What others see. I stripped away all of the self doubt and insecurities to show you who you really are, and not who you’ve been taught to see yourself as.”

Sophie pulled away, lips parted and brow slightly furrowed in confusion. Her hand hovered over her cheek once more, before lunging forward and toppling both Howl and her onto the bed, clinging onto him like a lifeline. Howl merely smiled, and stroked the back of her head, for her knew that someone who wasn’t used to being given the love that they deserved would never believe it at first when someone did finally hold them, kiss them, keep them safe from the world, for it is the most fragile that are the most starved for affection.

“My dear, would you prefer to bail on the dance entirely and stay in? I need to know you’re comfortable with being noticed, because people will notice someone so breathtakingly lovely as you.” The blond cooed, trying to peer down his nose to see if she was still sniffling, or simply breathing.

“I think so... I’m not afraid of going, as long as you’re by my side,” Sophie lifted her chin and smiled softly down at her boyfriend, before leaning down and pressing her lips to his for a lingering moment, “I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“More than yourself?” Sophie teased, kissing the man’s forehead before climbing off of him and fluffing out her newly redesigned dress.

“Believe it or not, but yes, I love you more than I love myself. Do I need to give you my heart to prove my undying devotion to you, or shall I just ask Calcifer to explain to you what having my heart in one’s possession is like?” Howl laughed, slowly getting to his feet and stealing one last soft glance at his love, a sly twinkle to his eye and a mischievous quirk to his lip. 

Reaching out, the wizard brushed the exposed skin of Sophie’s neck, and in the wake of his fingertips followed a string of Mother of Pearl, each separated by a single ruby to match the rings that they each wore on their fingers, and with a flourish of his wrist hung the earrings that went with the necklace, hanging perfectly inconspicuously behind the untucked pieces of Sophie’s starlight waves. Howl winked at her, and after taking her hand, led her down the stairs to wait for the carriage to arrive and take the two to the King’s palace. Calcifer crackled happily in the stone carved hearth, burning through a fresh pile of cedar and murmuring mysterious songs of far off lands to himself while he flickered. Clearing his throat to get the fire demon’s attention, Howl raised his eyebrow and gestured with a well manicured hand to the woman at his arm, having difficulty keeping the proud grin hidden behind pursed lips.

“Wow, Sophie, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a fallen star, yourself… The moon should be jealous of your beauty,” Calcifer hissed, sending a rain of sparks up into the chimney, “I expect you to bring her back safe and sound before I run out of firewood, young man.”

“Calcifer, we’ve been together for four years now, do we really have to go through this gauntlet of parental madness everytime I want to take my lovely girlfriend somewhere?”

“Drop the attitude, wizard boy, or you lose your hot water privileges. You’re not my Master anymore, and I know Sophie won’t let anything happen to me, so choose your next words wisely.”

“Howl, dear…” Sophie breathed, tugging on the blond’s sleeve lightly, fully aware that those two could go back and forth for hours if not stopped now.

“Of course. I vow, by the magic that runs in my veins that I shall protect Miss Sophie Hatter with my life, by pain of death from you, oh great and powerful Fire Demon, in whichever agonizing way you see fit. Happy?” 

“For now… Have fun you two, I’ll keep the castle wamr for you when you come home.” Calcifer crackled, winking one of his flickering eyes and watched as the doors shut behind them.

  
Sophie and Howl climbed into the carriage, led by two white stallions, and squeezed each other’s hands as they started to move. Moonlight streamed through the windows, radiating off Sophie's snow white skin and silver hair, casting an ethereal glow around her form as though she really were a fallen star in human form. Howl smiled to himself, a warmth in his chest growing as he saw just how pleased his love was, and brought her hand up to his lips, leaving a chaste kiss before eyeing the pearls strung around her neck. _How fitting_ , he thought, _that the only star that I’ll ever desire to see again shall be gilded in pearls, blessed by the moon herself. My entire world, galaxy, and universe sitting here beside me for the rest of my life. Such a happy dream of a life, I do lead._

**Author's Note:**

> For those who are curious, I wanted to do an easter egg, and so the spell that Howl chants is actually in Welsh! For those who haven't read the book (you should totally read it, by the way!!), Wales is... Kind of a thing, so I wanted to sprinkle that in for some flavour. 
> 
> Original Welsh : O Dduwiau Hynafol, gadewch imi gyflawni fy ewyllys fel y gwelaf yn dda, felly mote hi.  
> Translation : Ancient Gods, let me carry out my will as I see fit, so mote it.
> 
> Remember to drink water, sleep, and take care of your lovely self~


End file.
